Looking back I now realise that I could have been more effective with my approach to the different projects.
When I started I gave myself deadlines and arranged meetings with staff, but I soon realised that other tasks were taking over.
These other tasks did not involve staff in the Heritage Council and required me to work alone outside of the Heritage Council building.
Each time I tried to arrange meetings with staff, they were away at various meetings, too busy, working from home, on annual leave, or sick.
Many times the staff would cancel agreed meetings, and many times failed to rearrange meetings with me as they had forgotten.
I had no prior knowledge of "how" each member of staff worked, and because I was away on another project, I could not watch and see how they worked or the most important part, where they worked.
What I needed to do on reflection was to ask each staff member
(a) Where would you spend most of your working week?
(b) When you are in the Heritage Council what will you be working on?
(c) What are the best days/times/months to contact you?
(d) Would you prefer if we had group meetings?
The answers to these questions would have given me a greater insight in how I would connect with each member of staff in order to plan the library project.
Had I been able to reflect on the situation I would have realised that I needed to leave the library project until the other tasks were completed or plan the library project in blocks which fitted around staff time and availability.
I now understand in the future I can engage with staff that have very limited time. And the need to plan and hold down that arrangement is the key to success.
Instead of me planning the project around my time and the library, have the planning be a part of the staff and organisations working day.
The library project has been a success, I would like to showcase this project and illustrate the many skills a librarian needs when working within a library, as a new professional it has opened my eyes, very wide!
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